When the steering starts to judder as the A20 opens up past Lee towards Sidcup, an unbalanced wheel is the usual culprit, and Lewisham drivers can have it balanced at home.
Most Lewisham driving is stop and start: the Catford gyratory, Lewisham High Street, the lights at New Cross. An imbalance barely registers there. It surfaces when the road clears, heading out along the A20 towards the M20, down the A21 to Bromley and the M25, or on a clear run over Blackheath, when the steering wheel sets up a rhythmic flutter or the seat hums. Front wheels tend to announce themselves through the steering, rear ones through the body.
Balance is lost when a tyre is replaced or taken off the rim for a repair, when a weight is knocked off by a kerb or a pothole, and as the tread wears unevenly over months of use. Speed cushions across Brockley, Ladywell and Hither Green are hard on wheels driven over them carelessly. Lorry debris on the A2 and A20 leads to plenty of repairs, and a repaired tyre should always be rebalanced before it goes back on.
Forest Hill and Sydenham driveways, a Brockley or Lewisham permit street with the bay paid for, or a Bromley Road retail car park if its operator agrees. Lewisham's four red routes, including the Catford stretch of the South Circular, are out of bounds.
| Near | University Hospital Lewisham, Lewisham station, Goldsmiths, University of London, New Cross |
|---|---|
| Typical arrival | Typically 60 to 90 minutes |
About wheel balancing nationwide → · Wheel balancing on the Lewisham page
Each wheel is removed at the kerb and put on the balancer carried in the van, spun until the machine reads the imbalance, weighted and checked on a second spin. It then goes back on with the nuts tightened in the right sequence. Balancing does not change the wheel angles, though; a car that pulls to one side or chews the inner edge of its tyres needs alignment, which is a service we do not provide.
Juddering wheel in Lewisham? Have it balanced on your own drive or in your bay.
